Monday, October 27, 2008

I've decided that we haven't had enough music on our dear little blog recently and I'm going to try my best to remedy this situation by possibly introducing you kids to some fun new bands.

I've been kind of harsh on our lovely Australia over the past few years, choosing countries such as Sweden and Canada for my first musical port of call, over looking delightful bands battling for attention right in front of me. This week I'm going to showcase some of our best treasures and gems.

One such band I've recently grown very found of are The Crayon Fields. Man do I love these guys. Home port for these gorgeous buccaneers is Melbourne. Canberra hipsters became familiar with these kids a few Thursday's ago at Gangbusters. Apparently they rocked it and I've heard nothing but rave reviews of their set since. Damn my Thursday night obsession with Heroes!

They sing dreamy pop songs which make me feel all light and giggly. It's perfect music for a warm afternoon picnic with a loved one.

Buy, buy, buy! (Thissite has all the pretty tidbits available for you to buy, and some more songs).

This MP3 is from their upcoming 7"; the precursor to their sophomore album.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Oh gosh... It's been over a week since i last posted?! Edit: It's been two whole weeks!!! I've been trying to write this post for a week now. Yes, i suck.

I have some crazy talented friends, and kings and queens of blogspot, my gorgeous groupies have done it again. Boy do i have some treats for you today!

I have had the pleasure of recently befriending a beautiful young lady by the name of Georgina Edwards. She undertook the incredible feat of animating a 37 second stop motion animation on the wall adjoining 'I Trip I Skip', and 'Unit Concepts' in Canberra. It's mind blowing. I also think quite highly of the music scored to compliment the piece.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

So I promised you a recipe, and I am nothing, nothing if not a deliverer.

So from my home to yours, a bowl of buckwheat noodles in gingery-spring broth.

This soup is almost ludicrously simple to prepare. You merely boil the noodles (in a few short minutes), then bring a simple broth to the boil and simmer for five, chuck it all in a bowl with a little silken tofu and some spring vegetables, pour yourself a glass of wine, sit, and devour pleasurefully (with chopsticks, please). Honestly, I don't know why any sane person would eat these, when they could eat this. It is also ludicrously cheap (which, now that I've moved out is going to be my new bent, so you know), and ludicrously healthy - full of fibre, protein and vitamins.

Moreover (if, at this stage you still need a moreover), it is incredibly comforting on these indecisive, warm one minute, freezing the next spring days, and fabulous if you, like me, are feeling a bit under the ol' weather. Kind of like the Asian-inspired, semi-vegetarian version of chicken noodle soup.

A few points:I would love you to consider the broth as a basic suggestion to play around with. Try different spring vegetables - Asparagus, Asian Greens (especially delicate ones like tatsoi), bean sprouts or even exotic mushrooms like oyster or enoki). Or maybe even experiment with different noodles, like somen or udon. Just make sure you keep it clean, simple and fresh - the very essence of Spring.

Ingredients1.5 litres of chicken or vegetable stock (you should really go with quality here. I'm not suggesting you make your own from scratch or anything, but I find it works best with 500mls of quality liquid chicken stock from the supermarket, and 1ltr of water into which one vegetable stock cube has been dissolved.)400g buckwheat (soba) noodles2tbs Japanese soy sauce3tbs fish sauce (if you wanted to be genuinely vegetarian about this, experiment with other Asian sauces, like Chinese wine, sake, or just up the level of soy and add some lime juice)1.5 tbs finely chopped fresh ginger1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste (optional)400gm silken tofu, carefully sliced into 2cm cubes2 shallots, finely sliced on the diagonal, for garnish10 or so sugar snap peas, sliced on the diagonal, for garnishfinely sliced red chillis, for garnish (optional)

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. I like to warm the tofu while this is happening, so I place the whole container (unopened) in the water, and pull it out with tongs once its come to the boil.Cook the soba noodles according to packet instructions. Usually this takes around 2-3 minutes. Drain and put aside.Bring the stock, ginger, sauces and wasabi to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.Divide the noodles into four deep bowls, top with the warm tofu, and pour over the broth. Garnish with the shallots, snap peas and chilli.

My thesis is due in three days. I am equally excited and terrified at the prospect of being rid of it. In fact, I think I am writing this post right now in order to procrastinate from finishing my thesis (which, to be honest, could be done in a few short hours), because I actually, kinda, don't want to let it go. My life will feel so...empty. I mean, honestly, what am I going to do with myself if not procrastinate from thesis writing? Seriously, suggestions?

Well, if nothing else, I have dozens of recipes planned to share with you as soon as I birth this creature which has been inhabiting my mind, body and soul for the past nine months (coincidence, no?), and reclaim my camera. I even have some incredibly speedy sweet ones, for a change, and maybe even one or two of Mediterranean leanings (as apposed to non-descript 'fusion' asian). Who would have thought?

But, in the mean time, I leave you with this fabulous fashion site. It gives further verification to my long held belief that people are, indisputably, most fabulous in their seventies.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

I've had a very topsy-turvey kind of a day, so to compliment this, i'm going to entertain you with a very topsy-turvey type of post.

Is it just me that thinks this photo is simply hilarious?

This evening i enrolled to vote in the upcoming US election. I got on my moral high horse, pledged my allegiance to the democratic party and then logged on to their site to further confirm what a great human i was for 'making a difference'. Phoah! Thiswas the first site that came up when i clicked on their link from google... I'm not sure what i should have expected, i mean, this is America we're talking about. My OS vote probably won't be counted anyway. Execrable.

Two of the boys i work with at my 'rehab for kiddies', decided to leave today. One left in a flurry of fright (jumping out of a moving car), convinced the police were waiting for him back at the residential site, and the other boy, apathetic to the last moment, shrugged his shoulders and ambivalently announced that we could all go fuck our selves.

It's the first time any of the kids i've worked with as a counsellor have left, and it's been a massive slap in the face. Sometimes i think i care too much.

Monday, October 6, 2008

What my recent Uni assessment has resulted in (apart from average marks) is a spate of Internet shopping. Oh yes, procrastination is a dangerous thing. In the past I have been guilty of browsing eBay and other shops excessively in an effort to distract myself, but this is the first time I have actually bought anything. Oh, actually that’s totally a lie. I did by a bunch of stuff from American Apparel last year. Recently however, my Internet browsing has not resulted in just one solitary, understandable and explainable purchase. Oh no, this has been at least four purchases. Eck. My first and favourite purchase though is this completely wonderful and beautiful fascinator.

My hair looks like it should be where my face is in this photo. I am not a great photographer.

I bought it from the amazing web shoppe Bona Drag, where I could have bought a lot more things…I was so excited when it arrived as I, like Julia, absolutely love receiving packages in the mail. It reminds me of when I lived overseas for six months and my mummy would send me care packages. Little did I know when I purchased this fascinator that I would be receiving free gifts. Free gifts! I love free gifts almost as much as I love packages, maybe even more. I should have taken photos when it arrived but in my haste to rip it open I forgot. The fascinator itself came beautifully wrapped in decorative tissue paper and accompanied by a mix CD that I assume gets sent out with all Bona Drag products, as well as a thank you card. Both were such lovely touches. I felt so special and all this for spending money on something beautiful. What a great deal.

After the fascinator had arrived and I had decided to post about it (a few weeks ago now, I’m a bit slow) I did a little Internet research and discovered a number of things. 1. This fascinator is almost an exact copy of the one worn in the film Brick, which I had completely forgotten.2. Two other bloggers had already purchased and blogged about this very same fascinator, which I think is a great recommendation. Check them out at Susie Bubble here and dreamecho here for even more fabulous ways to wear a fascinator.

And as a free gift for you dear readers, a few of the songs featured on the Bona Drag mix tape.

Having forced myself out of bed at 6am that morning, spending half the day drowning in paper work and then hungrily finding my way to Sydney, I arrived at the gig in a dream like state, where objects didn't quite appear solid and people gave off a warm glow which somehow gave the perfect set up for a truly unforgettable night.

Much to my dismay, i arrived at the venue late thus missing Pikelet, who i've heard was enthralling. As we walked in to the church Lucky Dragons had already started. People were seated in a circle on the floor around a guy, a girl and a myriad of different crazy instruments. From the center of their circle they projected moving images that complimented the music onto the roof of the church. Hands were held, dancing created, magnetic rocks vibrated and we experienced a unique, perhaps futuristic, method of musical expression. It was spellbinding.

And then Phil played. Unashamedly awkward, humble and lovely, Phil performed for the audience, not like so many other bands who play for self gratification. He sat at the front of the church naked from effect lighting, on a stool with his acoustic guitar and a microphone. As we held our breaths, our hearts beating in our ears, he played new, old and everything in between. Throughout the performance he invited us to ask questions, took requests and involved us in his creation. His voice was crystal clear and people sat in silence as what he sang resonated with each of us uniquely.

Photo of Phil captured on the night was taken from Oceans Never Listen who have the set list and a gorgeous review of the night, which i highly recommend you check out if interested.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

lkl;k;lk;lkOh, of Montreal. So zany with their watermelon faces and androgyny and Outback Steakhouse jingles. So lovable, too. And just between you and me, I recently sneaked me a peek at their upcoming release Skeletal Lamping, and I liked what I saw. More importantly, I also liked what I heard.

Tastier still is all the crazy merch you can get when you order the album. In an effort to promote "exceptional objects", you can choose from a range of whimseys, including a paper lantern, t-shirt, tote bag, wall decals and more, which all come with a download code. It's like digital downloading made materialistic, but more exciting than the "conventional, right angle plagued CD packaging" of yore. In the words of the band:

We hope this idea catches on and, in the future, square CD packaging will be abandoned forever and only interesting art objects will fill record stores. We envision a time when you’ll be walking around your local record shop and be like, “What’s the new Radiohead album again? Oh yeah, a bonsai tree in the shape of a deformed goat, I see it over there."

How very avant-garde.

I was totally set to splurge on the $90 Package Deal (featuring the CD, awesome wall decals, a lantern (!), t-shirt, tote bag, buttons, stickers, download codes for extra goodies and some kind of polyvinyl compilation) but then the $30 postage fee struck me as a touch excessive. Damn this hemisphere and all its southerness!

Also, just in case you're yet to have munched on this delicious delight: